Jorge Lorenzo says Yamaha has hit 'new level' in MotoGP title race
Jorge Lorenzo believes Yamaha has found a 'new level' in recent MotoGP events and is excited to discover its potential this weekend at Aragon
The Spaniard has triumphed in the last two straight races and in the process closed to within 34 points of Honda's rookie championship leader Marc Marquez.
While Yamaha has never won at Aragon - Ducati and Honda have shared the honours since the track's 2010 introduction - Lorenzo believes recent improvements and his own chart-topping pace during June's official test mean he enters the weekend in good shape.
"I'm really looking forward to going to Aragon because in that track we did a very good test before Assen," Lorenzo said.
"In those tests we were the fastest and now we have an even better bike.
"I'm looking forward to getting to know our new level at the circuit.
"I feel very good physically and also the last Misano test went very well for us, so I'm going to Aragon feeling positive."
Team director Massimo Meregalli said that Yamaha made a significant breakthrough during that June test.
"Aragon has never been one of our best tracks but what we found during the last test there was very positive," he explained.
"We go there with great expectations.
"Both riders were very strong and that is why we want to continue the positive series of races and reduce the gap between Jorge and Marquez."
Toby Moody: is Pedrosa just unlucky?
Aragon MotoGP: Lorenzo edges Marquez in first practice
Why Honda and Yamaha have been left behind in MotoGP's new era
The once all-conquering Japanese manufacturers are going through a difficult period in MotoGP this season. With Suzuki quitting, Honda struggling to get near the podium and Yamaha only enjoying success courtesy of Fabio Quartararo, Japanese manufacturers have been left in the dust by their European counterparts. Key paddock figures explain why.
Who is Valentino Rossi’s newest MotoGP star?
Valentino Rossi’s protégés stole the show at Assen as Francesco Bagnaia stormed to victory to arrest a recent barren run. But it was the rider in second, on Bagnaia’s old bike, who had all eyes on him. Securing his and the VR46 team’s first MotoGP podium, Marco Bezzecchi has all the characteristics that made his mentor special
How Quartararo is evoking an absent MotoGP great in 2022
OPINION: Fabio Quartararo has seized control of the 2022 MotoGP world standings after another dominant victory as his nearest rivals faltered. And he is very much heading towards a second championship echoing how the dominator of the last decade achieved much of his success
The human importance of Marquez’s latest enforced MotoGP absence
OPINION: Marc Marquez will likely sit out the remainder of the 2022 MotoGP season to undergo a fourth major operation on the right arm he badly broke in 2020. It is hoped it will return him to his brilliant best after a tough start to the season without a podium to his name. But it’s the human victory that will far outweigh any future on-track success he may go on to have
Why Ducati holds all the power in its MotoGP rider dilemma
OPINION: The French Grand Prix looks to have made Ducati’s decision on its factory team line-up simpler, as Enea Bastianini stormed to his third win of the campaign and Jorge Martin crashed out for a fifth time in 2022. But, as Ducati suggests to Autosport, it remains in the strongest position in a wild rider market
The seismic aftershock left by Suzuki's decision to leave MotoGP
Suzuki's sudden decision to leave the MotoGP World Championship at the end of the season has acted as a stirring element in a market that had already erupted. Autosport analyses what this means for the grid going into 2023
How the real Ducati began to emerge in MotoGP’s Spanish GP
Ducati’s 2022 MotoGP bike has had a tough start to life and the expected early-season title charge from Francesco Bagnaia did not materialise. But the Spanish Grand Prix signalled a turning point for both the GP22 and Bagnaia, as the 2021 runner-up belatedly got his season underway after a straight fight with Fabio Quartararo
How Honda's praise for its 2022 MotoGP bike has turned into doubt
In a little over two months, Honda has gone from setting the pace in MotoGP testing with its new RC213V prototype to being at a crossroads - caused by the discrepancy in its riders' feedback. After a Portuguese GP that underwhelmed, serious questions are now being asked of Honda in 2022